The age-old question: How can I grow my Instagram following? It’s no secret that Instagram is one of, if not the hardest social platform to grow a following on. The algorithm is constantly changing which means as content producers, we need to keep on our toes and constantly adapt in order to survive.
It’s all about testing, adapting, and learning, and these are some of the key factors that have lead to me growing a 10k+ following so far…
How to grow your Instagram following
Find your niche
Although it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, I think finding a niche for your Instagram page is key. Whether that’s fashion, beauty or bird watching, finding a niche means people will know what they’re getting when they follow your page.
If you want people to follow you, chances are you’re going to want them to engage with you too. I mean, what good is a follower if they’re not valuable by engaging? In that sense, it’s much easier to attract an audience if you have a target audience. For me, as a fashion blogger, that’s people who are interested in clothes. For a bird watcher, it’s people interested in birds. It’s not rocket science!
Stick to a theme
Following on from that – once you have a niche, it’s a lot easier to stick to a theme. We all know Instagram is a visual platform, so it’s also not rocket science that your profile needs to look good.
Your grid is going to be the first thing that attracts someone to follow you. As much as well-curated captions and engaging stories is important, if you can’t entice users to follow first, the rest is no good.
Try and stick to creating the correct content within your niche, shoot in similar conditions and try to edit photos in a similar way. Find yourself a lightroom preset or an app to edit on – this way, your photos will all look as though they belong.
Dedicate time to the app
Unfortunately, unless you’re a worldwide celebrity, you can’t simply post a photograph on Instagram and close the app and forget about it. You need to consider your hashtags, build a hashtag strategy, understand when is best to post to reach maximum people, what to post and more. If you really want to grow on Instagram, you’re going to have to dedicate some time to the platform which takes me to my final point:
Engage, engage, engage
And my final point is the most important. To get back, you need to give, and in the world of Instagram that means engagement. How are users going to find you if you’re not engaging? For every photograph you post, spend at least 30 minutes on the app engaging: respond to comments, comment on others posts, find new people to follow via hashtags… the more you put in, the more you’ll get back.
Instagram really is a minefield, but it’s a platform that’s not going anywhere soon, so is worth investing your time in, whether you’re a business, an influencer or otherwise.
What are your top tips for growing a following on Instagram?
Lucy x
